Art & Me Online

Course Program

Topic 1: First Strokes – Introduction to Art

The First Stroke — Your Journey Toward Your Own Painting

Introduction to Sketching

Learn what a sketch is and how it helps bring the idea of a future painting to life.

First Draft Technique

Master simple lines and shapes as you take your first steps in the art of drawing.

From Sketch to Creativity

Turn simple sketches into the foundation for future artworks.

Topic 2: Brush Magic – Mastering the Tools

The Brush as an Extension of Your Hand — Secrets of a Confident Stroke

Brushes – Your Best Friends

Let’s get acquainted with different types of brushes for working with acrylics and their possibilities.

Brushes for Different Elements

We’ll find out which brushes are ideal for painting the sky, sea, and other elements of a painting.

Economical choice

Learn how to choose brushes without spending too much, but with maximum efficiency.

Topic 3: Lively Strokes – How the Canvas Comes to Life

The Living Stroke - Movement, Form, Energy

Different Brushstroke Styles

You will master the techniques of different strokes: lassoing, impasto, dry brush.

Filling techniques

Learn how to fill large surfaces evenly and create gradient transitions.

Expressive lines

Familiarize yourself with how brush pressure and angle change the character of the stroke.

Topic 4: Secrets of Color – Your Palette

Immerse yourself in the world of colors and learn how to create the perfect hues for your paintings.

Three main colors

Learn the basics of color science: red, blue and yellow. Learn to mix primary colors to produce secondary shades.
  • Basic combinations of primary colors
  • Mixing rules for bright colors

Magical shades

Learn practical mixing techniques and get beautiful complex colors without complicated theories.
  • Bleaching and darkening techniques
  • Creating harmonious color combinations

Confidence in color

Develop an intuitive understanding of color for free creativity and the creation of any painting.
  • Practical exercises to develop color vision
  • How to match colors to the mood of a painting

Topic 5: Color as Emotion – Depth and Light

Immerse yourself in the world of emotional palettes and learn how to convey depth through color.

Colors

Shadows and Light
Create volume and depth without using black.

Emotional Color
Learning to convey mood through color in depicting the sky, greenery, and water.

Shades

Clean shades
Learn techniques to avoid "dirty" shades in your work.

Harmonious combinations
Learn the principles of creating a balanced color composition.

Topic 6: Complex Subjects – Simple and Beautiful

We will learn how to work with references, adapting them to our own style. The development of observation and imagination will be the key to creating unique works, and the gradual complication of compositions will give confidence in the creative process.

Compositions

Drawing a picture "Mountain Sunset"
  • Develop observation and imagination
  • Learn to draw from references
  • Creating unique landscape compositions

Still life

Drawing the painting "Spring Bouquet"
  • Adapt references to your style
  • Complexify compositions step by step
  • Working with floral motifs

Topic 7: Creative Arsenal – Everything at Hand

We will expand our creative arsenal, using not only brushes, but also sponges, cotton swabs and other improvised materials. We will learn how to choose tools for a particular subject and mood of the painting, turning simple objects into the means of creating a masterpiece.

References

Drawing a picture "Provence"
  • Selection and analysis of references to create the atmosphere of Provence
  • Adaptation of references to the artistic task
  • Creating a sketch based on selected references

Working with a broad brush and improvised tools

  • Expressive strokes with a broad brush to create a background
  • Using sponges and texture materials
  • Non-standard methods of working with cotton swabs and other handy tools

Application of Techniques

  • Combining different techniques in one work
  • Choosing the best techniques to convey the textures of Provence
  • Practical application of previously learned techniques

Topic 8: Strokes, Gradients, and Fills

Master the technique of creating perfectly smooth gradients and vivid, emotional color transitions. We will learn to work with contrasts, preserving the harmony of color combinations in the painting.

Smooth gradients

Create smooth color transitions easily and simply

Filling techniques

Learn how to fill large surfaces evenly and create gradient transitions.

Expressive lines

Familiarize yourself with how brush pressure and angle change the character of the stroke.

Topic 9: Color Combinations – Your Dream Palette

Learn to create perfect color combinations for your masterpieces. We will master professional techniques of working with thick, transparent and covering colors, their peculiarities and their correct application to create depth and expressiveness in a painting.

12 Basic Combinations

To create harmonious color combinations

3 Types of Paints

Dense, transparent and covering - specifics of operation

5 Overlay Techniques

To achieve different effects in a painting

Topic 10: Sketches – The Foundation of Artistic Work


What to do if the sketch doesn't work

We will analyze the main difficulties in creating sketches and practical solutions for them. We will learn to work with the "Couple in Love" stencil, turning a simple sketch into an expressive painting.


Lifehacks: Lights and References

We will learn important artistic tricks related to working with light and using references. These techniques will significantly improve the quality of your sketches and final artwork.


Finding References on Pinterest

Learn how to effectively use Pinterest as a resource for inspiration and references. Learn how to search, save and use the materials we find in our own art projects.

Topic 11: PRO Brushes – Style and Scale

Learn to apply the rules of the golden and diagonal sections to create harmonious and balanced compositions.

Brushes for working on canvases of different sizes

We will study the peculiarities of choosing and using brushes for working with canvases of different sizes - from miniatures to large-format works.

Mastichins: techniques and methods

Master a variety of masticating techniques to create expressive textures and effects in painting.

Topic 12: Composition and Planes – Depth in a Painting

Drawing a painting "Landscape"

Learn to work with references, adapting them to your own style. The development of observation and imagination will be the key to creating unique works, and the gradual complication of compositions will give confidence in the creative process.

Foreground

The most detailed and contrasting part of the landscape. Here we use rich colors, sharp details and expressive textures. The foreground elements create a frame for the whole composition.

Average plan

Moderate detail and slightly softened colors. This plan links the foreground and background, creating a smooth transition of depth. It is often where the main elements of the story are located.

Long-range plan

Minimal detail, muted and cooler shades. Use an aerial perspective, softening contours and reducing contrast. This is usually the sky, mountains or forests in the distance.

Topic 13.1: Color as Mastery – The Ultimate Skill

Deepening into the mysteries of the color wheel and the basics of color harmony

In this lesson we will take the first important step towards professional color mastery - understand the structure of the color wheel and learn how to use it as a practical tool for artists.

Colour wheel

Practical magic of blends instead of dry theory. We will learn to see all the relationships between colors and understand the logic of their arrangement. Primary, secondary and tertiary colors will become your faithful assistants.

Your style

Confidence and individuality in working with color. Developing your own recognizable approach to color solutions.

Win-win combinations

Color combinations that always work. Complementary, analog and triad schemes that will help you create harmonious work.

Final Accents

Professional touches that complete the composition. How to correctly place bright accents to emphasize the main thing in the work.

Topic 13.2: Color as Mastery – The Ultimate Skill

Techniques to practice

In this lesson we will move from theory to practice and learn how to convey the majestic beauty of mountain landscapes, the depth of the sea and the airiness of clouds.

Mountains

Techniques for conveying the grandeur and scale of mountain peaks. Work with perspective and light shading to create a sense of monumentality.

Sea

Methods of depicting water surface in different states. Transparency, movement and reflections in water.

Clouds

Techniques of working with air masses. Giving volume and lightness, creating different types of clouds and their interaction with light.

Practical lesson: Drawing a picture "Snowy Mountains".

Use all the techniques we have learned to create a harmonious composition with mountain peaks, the sky and perhaps the water surface at the foot of the mountains.

Topic 13: Color as Mastery – The Ultimate Skill. Part 3.

Land, meadows, hills, field

In this lesson, we will focus on depicting different types of land surface and learn the horizontal fill technique.

Land and Meadows

Techniques for creating a variety of soil textures and grassy surfaces. Working with small details and general plans.

Hills and topography

Methods of conveying the volume of the earth's surface. Gradients and light shading to create natural terrain.

Horizontal fill

A professional technique for creating smooth color transitions, especially effective for landscapes and large surfaces.

Practical lesson: Drawing a picture "Sunflowers".

Apply the horizontal fill technique to create a background and then add bright sunflowers as the centerpiece of the composition, practicing skills in contrasts and accents.

Result

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